REEF LIFE AQUARIUMS is the place to go!!!
- Thread starter gurbanski
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Tphill
Active Member
Connie, glad to hear that for you. For me, on the other hand, I've been sold several fish that have died in QT (2 didn't last overnight); if I don't specifically point out a fish and watch it being caught and added to the bag, I end up getting a beaten fish missing scales, fins, and a tail on one occasion, or just a generally tattered fish; I've only purchased a few corals from them, one of which was a torch that promptly died within 3 days, and I have been flat out lied to twice, once about a wrasse (yea, they are inactive fish that just lay on the bottom in a corner) and also when he sold me a goniopora saying they are as easy as zoanthids. I know many will try and defend this store to me, claiming something is wrong with my system. DON'T. I've gotten a few things from other reefers, ordered fish and coral online mainly from Saltwaterfish.com and also from e-bay, and I've purchased from Aquarium Fantasies, both the Birmingham store and the Montgomery store. I've lost nothing from any of these sources. As a matter of fact, all of these are thriving. I will say that the goniopora is alive, and 4 of the 9 fish are alive, 1 a chromis, I bought last weekend and is still in QT. Of the 5 fish that died, I got a $5 refund on one and I have a store credit on the wrasse for full price. There have been several instances where I've asked them to order something, he'll say no problem, it should be here next week and I'll call you when it arrives. My phone has never received a call from them. I believe I've given them more than enough chances, more than was deserved to earn my business, and they just have not. I'll give my business to Aquarium Fantasies, gladly.
Connie
Valuable Member
I'm sorry to hear that. The only fish I've bought from them were a pair of ORA Bangaii Cardinals, which are fine and having babies every month. I haven't bought any more from the since, because they don't look very healthy; and every time I do go there, I see one or two dead ones. I usually get my fish from Aquarium Imports, Divers Den or Vivid Aquariums. The corals however; I've had great luck with. I have asked for a few things that I assumed they forgot to order, but by the same token, there are things I have asked for that they did follow through on. Aquarium Fantasies is a good LFS also. Their fish are much healthier. I'm not going to tell you that something is wrong with your tank or you are doing something wrong...if I had the same experience as you, I wouldn't go there again either! BTW how are the pumps working for you?
twelvefive
Well-Known Member
The last few times I was in there, there have been a lot of dead fish in their tanks... I bought a wrasse from them last weekend and it was dead two days later. It could be a bad shipment from their supplier, because everything else I've bought from them has been awesome.
Tphill
Active Member
The pumps are pumping. lol I put them in my mixing bucket. I have been noticing several dead fish in there. Last weekend one entire system was down because he said they got a bad batch of clownfish, and the lights were off the other tanks because of a circuit breaker. My wife just mentioned that it seemed like we were being rushed out last weekend. I think she is correct.
Tphill
Active Member
Btw, the fish I lost from there: bangaii cardinal, 3 days in QT; 3 firefish, the first didn't last overnight in QT, 7 days in QT, 10 days in QT, ; last weekend was a McCosker's Flasher Wrasse, didn't last overnight in QT. After the acclimation period, he was put in the tank around 8pm. I was up the next morning around 4am for work, he was dead. That's only around 8 hours. The fish I've gotten from there that are still alive are 1 firefish (got him out of the shipping bag before he was acclimated or put in their water), a chalk bass, a bangaii cardinal, and a chromis that is in QT for 1 week now.
Eienna
5000 Club Member
I have to wonder if maybe there's something radically different about their system which is shocking fish when they come into yours. Maybe they're consistently running hypo?
saltjunky
Active Member
Same here with me and fish from there the only thing I have had live is my cleaner shrimp and a lawnmower blenny I have had two angels 2 ora clowns and 2 fire fish die the two angels had signs of ich by the time I got them home and lived 3 days in qt I believe there's told mike what I run my salinity I run a mixed reef so I'm between 1.025 1.026 and he told me I was way to high that I needed to be at 1.022 .023 so I know they run low and the last few times I have been in there they have almost been rude like trying to rush me or not wanting to answer question about stuff they have I don't know what's happened to the place they used to be real friendly and helpful I am in no way bashing the place it a great store IMO I think they are still working all there kinks out but I will go back to Steve for all my fish
twelvefive
Well-Known Member
They have never tried to rush me out... I was in there for an hour talking to Luke when I bought my wrasse last weekend. I've gotten two clowns and a diamond goby and a cleaner shrimp and two turbo snails from them since April, not to mention the Duncans, zoas, gsp, and ricordea and the only thing I've had a problem with was the mcosker wrasse last weekend. Like I said, they've never tried to rush me out or feed me bad info. I will continue to give them a chance before ordering online.
twelvefive
Well-Known Member
I've dripped for an hour everything I've gotten from them.
Luke knows I run my reef at 1.025-1.026 and has never said that was too high.
Tphill
Active Member
Whenever I move a fish, or a batch, out of my QT, I change about 12 gallons and get the salinity down to about 1.021 or so. When a new fish, or a batch, enters QT they enter it at 1.021 or so. Over the course of 8 weeks with water changes from the tank they are going into, the salinity in the QT gets raised to the 1.024 range. My display tanks are 1.025-6. I don't think hypo is it, unless they run very low or not at all. I got my e-mail receipt for the refund on the dead wrasse. He didn't refund the entire amount. Tax wasn't refunded. Not a large amount at all, but still, not quite honest.
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saltjunky
Active Member
I was in there today I was talking to the owner about everything that's been happing there and changes have been made I felt welcomed again I also asked about what he keeps his tanks at he runs the fish at 1.019-1.021 and frag tanks run at 1.023 also told me he is doubling the size of the store and getting in a lot lot more dry goods and a lot more fish should be open by DEC
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